Building Cross-Campus Understanding: Expert Exchanges Between DC and Doha
GU-Q continues to strengthen ties with its Washington, DC campus through faculty exchanges that foster intellectual collaboration and cultural engagement. These visits offer unique opportunities for students and faculty to engage with diverse perspectives, reinforcing the university’s commitment to a truly global academic experience.
Dr. Kyle Shernuk’s Visit: Exploring Ethnicity and Indigeneity
In January, Dr. Kyle Shernuk, Assistant Professor of Modern Chinese Literature and Culture visited GU-Q, bringing his expertise on ethnicity and indigeneity in global Chinese contexts. His research delves into identity politics and ethnography. During his visit, he delivered a seminar titled “Indigenous Taiwan: Ethnography and Identity Politics in the Works of Syaman Rapongan and Heather Tsui.”
Reflecting on his time at GU-Q, Dr. Shernuk remarked, “I had a wonderful time visiting GU-Q. The students I met were all highly engaged, and the faculty were very welcoming and generous with their time. I’m looking forward to planning another visit soon!” His visit exemplifies how faculty exchanges create meaningful academic dialogues that benefit both students and professors alike.
Upcoming Visit: Dr. Brian Hochman on Global American Studies
Continuing this spirit of cross-campus engagement, Dr. Brian Hochman, a distinguished professor of English and American Studies and the Hubert J. Cloke Endowed Director of the American Studies Program, will be visiting GU-Q from February 6—9, 2025. Dr. Hochman specializes in American cultural history and is the author of The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States, which was named one of Publisher’s Weekly’s 20 best nonfiction books of 2022 and won the Surveillance Studies Network Book Prize.
Dr. Hochman’s visit marks an exciting exchange of ideas. As he prepares to travel to Doha, he shared his enthusiasm, saying: “I’ve interacted with colleagues and students from GU-Q who have traveled to DC ever since I arrived on campus in 2011. But I’m excited to reverse the direction of exchange. We’re living through a moment of great instability here in the US. It will be valuable for me—and for students in Doha—to think about what is going on from a position of global remove.”
Dr. Hochman will deliver a seminar titled Global American Studies: What It Is and Why It Matters on Sunday, February 9, 2025 at 1:00 pm in Room 1D02.
Strengthening Cross-Campus Connections
These faculty exchanges not only enhance academic discourse but also cultivate deeper cross-cultural understanding between the two campuses. In October, Associate Professor of English, Director of the Global Irish Studies Initiative, and Sonneborn Chair for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Indian Ocean Studies, Dr. Cóilín Parsons visited his fellow Sonneborne Chair Dr. Rogaia Abusharaf in Qatar, and gave a talk on Impossible Scale: Amitav Ghosh and the Indian Ocean.
In November, Dr. Clyde Wilcox hosted Dr. Nadia E. Brown, Professor of Government and Director of the Women and Gender Studies Program, who gave a public talk on “Black Women’s Electoral Politics,” shedding light on the 2024 US election. Dr. Trish Kahle and the Energy Studies program hosted Dr. Toshihiro Higuchi, Associate Professor of History and Director of Undergraduate Studies, who gave a talk on “The Nuclear Anthropocene: The Paradox of Scale and the Entangled Origins of the Great Acceleration and the Great Apocalypse since 1950.”
Leadership Knowledge and Best Practices Exchange
Leaders across Georgetown also visited the Qatar campus in January to share best practices and acquire global insights from the Qatar campus, including McDonough School of Business Dean Paul Almeida who gave a masterclass on leadership during his visit to the region, in the process gaining more insights about the local market.
As part of a multi-phase review focused on curricular development, practices, and innovation, a delegation of leaders also visited Qatar in January, including Randy Bass, Vice President for Strategic Education Initiatives, Sue Lorensen, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Education, Eddie Maloney, Executive Director of the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS), and Trent Kennedy, Senior Institutional Research Analyst in the Office of Assessment and Decision Support.
By sharing knowledge and perspectives, visiting scholars and leaders from DC contribute to the rich intellectual life of GU-Q while benefiting from the insights of students and faculty in Doha. As Georgetown continues to embrace its global mission, initiatives like these reinforce the importance of academic collaboration across borders.